Sailors and Civilians serving aboard Naval Health Clinic Cherry Point bid a fond Fair Winds and Following Seas to a staff member whose combined service to the U.S. Navy totals over three decades.

The retirement of Mr. Joseph Farland was celebrated Friday, December 13 aboard the clinic with facility staff and representatives from Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point’s Fire, EMS and Police Departments.

“Enjoy what you do and be kind to others,” said the Falmouth, Massachusetts native about the career advice he gives to others.


Farland served 26 years in the U.S. Navy as a Hospital Corpsman, four of them aboard Naval Health Clinic Cherry Point before retiring as a Senior Chief Petty Officer. He then served as the clinic’s Emergency Manager, Anti-Terrorism Officer and Force Protection Officer for ten years afterwards.

At the clinic, he trained staff to be prepared for a variety of emergency situations and equipped them with tools to deal with the uncertainty the future may hold for them in their personal and professional lives.

“It was fun. I enjoyed my daily interactions with my co-workers,” he said about serving in the U.S. Navy for so long. “I am one,” was his reply to why he continued working with Sailors.

In retirement, Farland plans to travel with his wife of over four decades and be actively involved in his eight grandchildren’s lives.